After deciding to launch a footwear brand in early 2020, I spent a month or two toiling aimlessly, unsure of what to focus on first. Thankfully I found and connected with Susannah for 1:1 consulting support in the spring of 2020. She helped take me from initial concept to successfully launching my brand, Tofers, via a Kickstarter campaign. Key areas of support included helping me identify my market, referring me to my designer and footwear agent, identifying my unique differentiators and more. More than anything, I valued having someone with expertise in what was a totally opaque industry to help answer every and any question I had along the way. Now that my feet are under me, I’ve taken off the training wheels and am running things independently with confidence thanks to the advice, guidance, and support Susannah provided me. If you’re looking for someone to help you get off the ground in the footwear world, I highly recommend her services. Thanks for everything Susannah!

I have been so impressed with all the information available on your Facebook group [The Shoe Community private group]. I can't wait to get through all of the videos. It has been really insightful already!

You have made a process which at first seemed sooooo unachievable a reality and allowed me to see it to fruition and I am only half way there. I can't thank you enough and I wish for you to keep up the amazing work you are doing.

[In answer to "What do you like about The Shoe Community?"] It is the sensation that I am surrounded by members who want to share ideal information in order to produce excellency within the shoe industry. I love the master video classes.

[on The Shoe Community masterclasses] Really interesting to hear from successful shoe founders and it’s made interactive even if you cannot make it live.

Susannah was brilliant to work with! She was an invaluable support during the early days of our shoe and brand development. From market research to sample production Susannah gave tons of smart, actionable advice to help create the best possible product. Overall an amazing person to have on your team when starting a shoe brand. I look forward to working with her again in the future.

Where to start ... as there are so many positive aspects to working with Susannah! She was instrumental in helping our new shoe brand articulate our vision into measurable goals that were attained through continued interaction with her via our bi-monthly zoom calls. These calls were a mixture of fact-finding, industry insights, and tactical recommendations that helped propel our startup to the growth targets we set forth at the beginning of the engagement with her. I would highly recommend Susannah for any shoe company looking to gain an achievable advantage in your target market. Thank you again Susannah!

It was lovely to meet you last night, albeit virtually. I should like to thank you upon behalf of our members for giving your talk entitled ‘How to find beautiful, comfortable, shoes’. It is a subject close to any woman’s heart as was demonstrated by the discussion at the end. It was interesting as to how you came to be a shoe consultant and your 7 tips will remain in my brain when I am next able to actually buy a pair of shoes from a shop.

[after Susannah connected me with shoe designers] I was planning to write you and mention how wonderful my conversations have been thus far with each of the designers, and how they each speak very highly of you. I’m so glad we chose to move forward with you for consulting work – I knew I made the right choice!

I am happy to say I have started the course and I am totally impressed with how you have put together and presented the information (its evident you have put in much time and effort in your work). I look forward each day to watching the videos and completing the materials. I haven't completed the course (or near to) but I want to send you a very big thank you. You have boosted my confidence on the way forward.

[on the 'How Much Does it Cost to Start a Shoe Brand?' masterclass] I got down about three pages of notes so it was definitely very very useful! It was great to hear from you both and I logged out feeling very inspired!

[on the 'How Much Does it Cost to Start a Shoe Brand?' masterclass] All very interesting. Thanks again for a very insightful presentation.

[on the 'How Much Does it Cost to Start a Shoe Brand?' masterclass] Enjoyed watching this. Great that Andrea was so open about costs/challenges she faced. Nice summary checklist - reminded me about legal fees! Thanks for sharing!

The masterclass was great and it was a good way for me to understand the level of investment involved. The class gave me the perspective I needed to understand what is involved and the steps and commitment required to launch a shoe brand.

Thank you so much Susannah...the masterclass with Andrea was so insightful!! I have come away feeling inspired & invigorated to keeping pushing forward with my start up!

I found the masterclass so helpful and insightful. Thanks so much for answering my question.

Susannah's [How to Find a Shoe Manufacturer] class was everything I expected it to be - thorough and insightful.  I loved that talented and accomplished designer Marion Ayonote was tapped to be a part of the conversation to detail her experience with finding and working with manufacturers, specifically as a designer, without a sourcing agent. Susannah gave great input and, honestly, helped me consider solutions that I hadn't before. It was all very eye-opening. As someone who is building a brand, I find Susannah's knowledge priceless and look forward to the next class.

I really enjoyed the [How to Find a Shoe Manufacturer] masterclass. I saw the master class recording and could actually sit down and pause the video while I was taking notes so I don’t miss anything. I couldn’t have ever guessed that this was Susannah’s first masterclass ! She’s such a pro !  I also loved that instead of a powerpoint or ‘brush over the top’ kind of masterclass, this was a conversation. Marion was the perfect candidate for this topic. In some of the other masterclasses out there, guest speakers are only talking about how much of a struggle it was to get to where they are right now. Marion on the other hand gives us a different story of how to move forward after the recognition starts to build up, which is a topic fairly untouched by a lot of speakers and even schools ! I got a lot of real life situation pointers, and it was really good and detailed. Can’t wait to attend more masterclasses by you. 

The course is great - it's really inspiring and focuses your ideas and goals. I also love how you can take it at your own pace which is really helpful to both fit the work in and give time to consider some of the important probing questions. Susannah has a reassuring delivery style in her videos helping you think calmly about your ambitions. The other video testimonials are so human and honest - it's great to see how these people have realised their ideas in different shoe business models. The assignments help you get to the essence of who and what you want to be in the shoe business. I would absolutely recommend the course to anybody wanting to start a shoe brand - I think there are learnings here that will help avoid common mistakes, so valuable.

Being new to the industry, I needed help with developing the product and navigating the industry. However, I quickly realised that Susannah's skill set and knowledge extends way beyond those two aspects. She was able to advise on branding, marketing, client outreach, leveraging social networking (in very creative ways!).....basically all aspects of starting/running a footwear brand! She was also able to reach into her network for additional advice and support where needed. I found Susannah to be very responsive to my needs and was able to work to my strengths and also help address my weaknesses. I am confident that investing in Susannah will yield great returns in the future!

The course is very thorough and touches on points that I hadn't even considered. Exactly what I needed.

Learning so much from this course. Questions which I wanted to avoid before starting the course and now I understand the importance of those same questions.

Susannah has great knowledge of the footwear industry having lived and breathed shoes from a young age. I recently invited her to speak as an expert speaker as part of our ‘small business support webinar series’ for Ethical Brand Directory - and we received wonderful feedback. Susannah has a great speaker presence online (I’ve also seen her present live at a Pure London Trade show) and her charming nature comes across wonderfully. I definitely recommend Susannah for any speaking engagement, as well as those who want to work with a consultant and get started with a sustainable footwear brand.

Susannah’s approach was not only focused, but intuitive too. Gauging my business needs and the way I operate and working closely to find ways to go forward in my own way. Her knowledge base was helpful and she was happy to share this in our sessions. But remember, she wants you to be proactive! Thanks Susannah, I’ll certainly be back soon.

It was a real delight to share the stage with Susannah at a recent event. She's an authentic, warm and energetic speaker who clearly knows her audience and everything that matters when it comes to shoes. Her story, expertise and years of experience shone through during her talk.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of engaging Susannah to co-curate the inaugural Made-to-Order Luxury Affair. I was already familiar with her work as The Shoe Consultant. Susannah is highly regarded in the footwear industry and working alongside her to bring our event into existence, left me in no doubt that Susannah was the perfect choice! Susannah came on board and hit the ground running. She immediately acquired an in depth understanding of made to order fashion. In curating, her care and attention to detail was faultless, her structured systematic approach to scoping out and delivering tasks was both concise and timely. Susannah's commitment to ensuring no effort was spared no stone unturned is the reason why she will remain my first choice to work with curating future events. Thank you Susannah.

Susannah’s session on “How to find Comfortable, Beautiful Shoes” was informative, unique and engaging. The whole group felt engaged and we all learnt what to look for when buying the next pair of killer heels! Thank you Susannah!

Susannah was very lovely to work with. Being a new brand she guided me with some key things which helped reassure my direction before launch. She is great with knowing what is going on when it comes to new processes and upcoming seminars which can further advance your skill sets as a business. I would definitely recommend her to anyone in the beginning stages of their business as she would be a good support to help you focus on a clear direction and guide your brand into the starting phases.

I met Susannah in PURE LONDON Trade Show, in February 2019. She did an amazing speech on sustainability in the shoe industry and beyond. As a shoe sustainable brand co-founder, it was really rewarding to learn more on the subject. Well done!

Susannah gave an extremely insightful and passionate talk on the sustainability of footwear at Pure trade show 2019. This really got me thinking, not just about the product itself but the ethics and environmental impacts behind the supply chain! I hope to follow in Susannah’s conscious footsteps in the future and attend another of her talks.

I interviewed Susannah recently for my podcast, Fashion Originators. What particularly struck me about Susannah was her drive, passion and in-depth shoe industry knowledge. I have met a lot of people in fashion, yet I have never met someone with such a clear love for their industry niche. From our conversation, I gained new and practical insights, resulting in a fascinating (but fun) podcast episode.

Engaging , charismatic and impeccably turned-out, right down to her beautiful red shoes, Susannah was a real treat for the ladies of Farningham WI. Her story of how her love of shoes and career in footwear developed, and her 'Top Tips' for choosing the right footwear were both interesting and informative. She ended with a lively question-and-answer session and took time to chat with our members afterwards, which was much appreciated. We'd have no hesitation in recommending her - or inviting her back to us!

Susannah came to give a talk to Eltham Palace WI. She came at extremely short notice and gave an outstanding talk about how to find comfort in smart shoes. She was engaging and informative. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed the talk and some of them came to speak to me afterwards about how much they loved the talk and what they had learnt. She immediately connected with our ladies and we would certainly recommend her. We wish her well on her future tours of talks.

Susannah is a very engaging speaker who presented a clear and thorough overview on how to set up a footwear brand. With her positive energy and years of industry knowledge and experience. I felt very comfortable asking her questions and discussing ideas.

Working with Susannah as I prepare for the launch of my brand has been one of the wisest decisions I made this year. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the industry, both at home and abroad. She brings warmth and personality to her role and has given me plenty of sage advice along the way. I can’t over-emphasise how useful it’s been to have someone with her expertise just a phone call or email away. Someone with whom I can brainstorm and get objective opinions, sometimes just reassurance that everything is on the right track. I can’t recommend her enough. She’s a great resource to have in your corner.

I was so fortunate to have found Susannah Davda. Her expert guidance and seasoned judgements have ushered me through the rough early stages of company development. She is clearly focused on her clients' challenges and able to direct them accordingly with great wit!! She understands how to navigate through this tricky industry and has the contacts and wherewithal to do so. I look forward to continuing my work with Susannah as she brings out the best in my professional abilities.

Susannah came along just at the right time for me. We had a brilliant discussion and I felt I moved forward leaps and bounds from one session. Since working with Susannah I have found a manufacturer to work with and have started prototyping. She is very professional and likeable.

Susannah was a great help to the start-up; she provided expertise and insight into not only the technical aspects of shoe manufacturing but the entire process of creating a shoe line from start to finish, including business planning. Susannah is thorough and very detail oriented. Her help was a great asset to the start-up. I definitely recommend her.

Due to Susannah’s experience as a professional in footwear, I asked her to visit Leicester College to deliver a talk to our footwear undergraduates. She was extremely positive about passing on her knowledge. Her presentation was informative, engaging and invaluable to the students. I strongly recommend Susannah. Our students said: “Susannah's speech was a fantastic experience.” "Susannah’s guidance and consultancy are going to be used for our future business."

Susannah helped me develop the technical aspect of my shoe design from concept to spec. sheet. She is a pleasure to work with and her input was invaluable.